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I barely know the woman. She doesn’t even like me, and yet, she was my savior in the dream. Maybe because some part of me thinks she will be. When we marry, I’ll have a wife, best friends with me always, and children. We won’t even have to split our time with her, as decided by the elders, we’ll share a home together in a home in the center of where all the courts meet. Which is… perfect. More than perfect.
With her, I have the potential for a happy life.
Yet, this whole thing is crazy.It was a dream and only a dream. An image of my mate and nothing else.I shake my head, trying to rid myself of all that past pain.
I sit up slowly from my blankets and see the other princes are already awake. Drinking coffee, ready for another day of riding. I hate that I was the last to wake up. They already think so little of me that the last thing I need is for them to think I’m lazy.
“Are you all right over there?” Cobar asks, and our gazes meet.
Why would he ask me that? Did I talk in my sleep? Am I acting differently?All I did was wake up. I haven’t done more than sit up.
The temptation to lie leaps to my mind, but I push it away. We’re linked by Cassia. We’re going to be together forever. If I can’t form a bond with them, they’ll all form a bond with her without me. I have to do better, no matter how uncomfortable sharing might be for me.
“Yeah, I just had a weird dream,” I reply without making eye contact with anyone, not wanting them to see just how vulnerable my admission makes me feel.
“Understandable,” Zane says, without any edge or jeering behind it.
Sulien walks over and claps me on the back and hands me a mug of coffee. It’s a friendly gesture that makes me freeze up. They’re being kinder to me than usual.Why?I can’t seem to think of a reason. I haven’t recently bested them in combat, hunted difficult prey, or made them feel inferior.
I don’t understand these men.Could it be that I said something heroic and brave in my sleep?Unlikely. And if they were going to be impressed by bravery and strength, they’d already hold me in high regard.
Cobar stands and moves to the fire where he appears to be cooking us breakfast, some kind of stew or porridge. “What do you think she’s doing right now?” He asks as he fills bowls and passes them around.
“I just hope she’s not hurting,” I say quietly, drinking my coffee as I accept my bowl. My body tense at just the idea of anyone hurting her.
I clench my jaw until it hurts. The pain drawing me away from the images of her pale and frightened. Of her body bruised and beaten.
“She’s tough,” Sulien says, pride in his voice. “She’ll be okay.”
He likes her more than he’s willing to admit, but this isn’t just about how much we like her, we need her home safe.Sulien can guess and think all he wants. I want action.
I eat quickly, as do the rest of the princes, then we pack. There’s no more chatter. No more lighthearted conversation. Until we have our mate back, that’s all we can focus on.
After packing, I ready and mount my horse first and wait. Frustrated. We all know where we’re going, as much as we might be dreading it. Why stretch things out any more than we have to?
Zane brings his horse beside my own, and we wait in silence while Sulien and Cobar get the last of our camp together. Minutes feel like hours, but they finally join us, and we ride quickly and quietly away, back on the road once more even though the sun has barely risen.
We take reluctant breaks throughout the day, not wanting to lose time, but also not wanting to overwork our horses. My mind travels with us, thinking about everything from my father to later that fateful day when my mother saw my bloody gash. She hadn’t looked the least bit surprised, just disgusted. Her mouth curling and her nostrils flaring out. She’d told me I needed to wear a mask for the rest of my life before turning back to her mirror and adjusting her hair.
Cassia isn’t that type of woman. I might not know her well, but I do know that about her. If she was, she would have turned away from me in disgust the moment she saw me. Yes, she ran from me, but not in disgust. Her kiss proved that.
I saw her family. She’s fiercely protective of them, which means when she loves, she loves true. I pause and wonder if she’d be the same way with her children. The instant the thought fills my mind, I smile. Of course she would. But I’d need to win her heart before any of that could happen.
Those thoughts and others tangle together until it’s not just my body that’s exhausted, but my mind. And it’s obvious why. All of my thoughts seem to be working so hard to ensure that I don’t think about where she isnow. Maybe hurt. But definitely taken.
The second that thought occurs, it’s the only thing I can think about. Which is worse. So much worse than thinking about my past with my parents or my future with Cassia.
We finally reach the edge of a dark forest. It’s thick, and there’s barely a path visible into it. Moss makes the trees look like grassland growing upward. The canopy above the trees is woven together so tightly that only wisps of sunlight seem to be able to penetrate the trees. It’s like we’re walking into darkness, entering a forest of night.
It’s unsettling. But then, we’re in the land of darkness.
We move a little slower, the shadows making it even more important that we be aware of our surroundings. Especially here. The further we delve into this dark forest, the less the sun shines through, and as I study the gaps between the trees, I see that clouds are rolling over the sky. Gray and heavy with the promise of a storm.
Darkness reigns in all areas here.
We turn off the main road, and onto one that is paved with black stones. Our horses walk with trepidation, sensing our location, but we force them forward any time they try to turn us around. Soon their hooves create a steady rhythm that echoes through the trees, breaking the silence surrounding us.
The unnatural silence that echoes through a forest with no life. No birds. No insects. Not even the whisper of the wind lives here.
